A Queensland camel dairy is poised to turn into the first in Australia to export its milk to the United States, hoping to tap into a growing market for allergy-friendly and wellness-focused dairy alternatives. Martin’s Farm, located in the Scenic Rim region west of Brisbane, aims to ship 60,000 litres of camel milk this year, potentially opening a new commodity export market for Australia.
Paul Martin, the farm’s owner, believes Australia’s unique abundance of feral camels provides a significant advantage. “That’s where Australia has a unique advantage: we have the massive nucleus of a herd there,” he said, according to reporting by The Guardian. “If we don’t cull them all, that is.”
The farm currently milks around ten camels, including Caroline, a high-yield producer whose lineage Martin hopes will contribute to more productive herds. Unlike cows, camels can “hold their milk,” requiring a more nuanced approach to milking based on animal psychology, including reward feeding and maintaining close proximity to calves. “Once you do that with these animals, they’re like a grass-eating labrador,” Martin told The Guardian. “They could sit on your lap … if they weren’t so heavy.”
Camel milk differs significantly from cow’s milk, lacking beta-lactoglobulin, a protein commonly associated with dairy allergies. This characteristic has driven interest from individuals with allergies, as well as those seeking wellness benefits and improved gut health. The milk is also naturally homogenised, lending itself to efficient freezing, thawing, and reconstitution for bulk shipping.
The potential export comes as Australia grapples with the management of its large feral camel population. Between 2010 and 2013, a large-scale culling program halved the camel population to approximately 300,000. Dr. Carol Booth, policy director at the Invasive Species Council, maintains that culling remains the most realistic method for controlling the environmental damage caused by feral camels, which includes disrupting desert ecosystems and impacting Indigenous cultural sites. “People retain coming up with these ideas, which sound great from a commonsense perspective,” Booth said to The Guardian. “But if the claim is that commercial use [of camels] will help solve [those problems], I would say: that’s biological bunkum.”
However, a government report on the cull program indicated a “strong preference” among traditional owners for population control through commercial use, and acknowledged that such use could “contribute” to control efforts in targeted areas. The report also recommended reducing reliance on feral harvest and building captive herds.
The initiative also resonates with diaspora communities who have long traditions of consuming camel milk. Faysel Ahmed Selat, president of the Queensland African Communities Council, who fled Somalia as a child, regularly visits Martin’s farm with friends. “It really makes me feel like I am at home,” he said to The Guardian, describing the camel as a symbol of Somali “culture, its history, its survival and its resilience.”
Martin’s Farm currently caters to local demand with a visitor centre offering camel milk cappuccinos, pies, vodka, and sausages. The farm’s success hinges on navigating international regulations and establishing a consistent supply chain to the United States.
